My eyes drift down to the hand that is clasping mine. Xing Xun’s.

Her next words are soft and draw me to look back up at her.

“You… How much do you know?”

I need to decide now about how close I’m going to be with this woman.

Though, I guess it’s a little late with that. Time to open the floodgates.

“… I think I’ve figured out enough, though much of what I’m assuming comes from my life elsewhere. In a place that had stories speaking out about people going through multiple loops of time. Trying desperately to correct what didn’t work before.”

She falls silent, but her hands remain wrapped around mine. Holding them just a little tighter.

“Maybe because I’m from outside this universe’s cycle, I was able to jump in. But I still don’t know anything about this world. I’m just some guy, trying his hardest to do the right thing by those around me.”

I hesitate, even with the prompting of the scan, when considering the next words that I have to say.

“I need help. I can’t change things alone. And while I have amazing, wonderful people that I trust almost everything to, they may not fully understand some of the things I am working toward. That I believe in. Eventually they will, but for now, they’ve never experienced something even close to it. And how can they effectively move toward something they don’t understand?

“… I’m not totally sure if it’s true, but I get a strong feeling that you do. That you’ve seen something like it in your lives.”

Even if my words are true, it feels awkward to admit my companions’ failings to someone I’m just getting to know.

But the fact they are true doesn’t change. My history in a technological and mostly peaceful society gives me a totally different viewpoint on things. Something that Ai, Lin, and Gong have little context on.

My scan is showing that there is an immense likelihood that Xing Xun has seen something similar to my world and culture. That in one of her lives, she’s both gone far enough away and lived long enough to experience it herself.

A peaceful, technological society.

Even if it might be cultivation cyberpunk-like, it would still be close enough.

It’s small, but I feel hope come up in my heart that I might have a kindred spirit here.

Her grip tightened even further at my words. She pulls me close and whispers.

“You’re right. I have gone through a lot.

“I’ve seen some things change, with others… staying the same.”

Why does that not sound like a good thing?

My scan picks up a change in the surrounding atmosphere. A slight fog rising from the ground, as she dives deeper into her thoughts. The air becomes sluggish and thick. Hard to move and feeling denser than ever. The building around us creaks, though nothing in this room is moving.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The weight of her will pressed against the fabric of this world.

“…three times already, I’ve had to watch in a useless body, as those precious to me were destroyed piece by piece. To see my body waste away and abused until I ascended.”

As she intones with a hint of anger, a quiet, but high-pitched shriek resounds around the courtyard. Familiar, yet foreign. Realizing its similarity only takes a moment.

The sound of a tornado.

If these words and effects weren’t proof that she holds the spiritual weight of multiple lives inside her, then nothing would be. And it seems certain things stay with you, even through the transference through time.

“And even afterwards, still seeing the depravity that creatures will fall into.”

That’s when, faster than I can react, her hand snaps to my chin. Lifting it to make me look into her chestnut eyes. And I get the slightest glimpse of who she used to be.

A Conqueror.

Her next words are low, piercing, and sharp.

“But you don’t want to know all the worlds that I’ve seen. All of those that rise and fall. And what it takes to make them.”

A statement of fact. A cut against my naivete to try to bridge a gap between us that I could never understand. A difference in maturity, experience, and knowledge.

A moment of tension.

And I notice that more than anyone else I’ve met in both lifetimes; she always looks straight on. No hesitation or wavering. Eyes fixated solely on me and appearing to encompass everything. As if they’ve seen everything before.

Her gaze carries a weight that transcends the physical realm. Dipping into the spiritual.

A look of pure but indirect intimidation.

I force myself to match her gaze, despite the suppressing feeling. With every passing second, my cultivator soul shakes, even with its increased resistance.

The eyes are the windows to the soul.

In hers, I’m viewing the edge of experience so vast that even a simple glance causes my body and soul to seize up.

But one thing sticks in my mind as I continue to stare back at her.

…If I can’t match even her gaze, how can I tell her I will fight for what I believe? That I deserve to even attempt to bridge that gap between us.

And compared to the pain of soul tearing…

This.

Is.

Nothing.

At these thoughts, I feel my mind steady, soul solidify, and body cease shaking.

I’ve regained myself. Allowing myself to calmly gaze back at her.

My reward comes in the form of a charmingly cocky smile. And a twinkling light in her now softened gaze.

“Hmm… promising. Maybe with you, I think we can at least make this time a better one, together. Even if it’s only for a little while.”

That’s when her hand relaxes, dropping from my chin.

The pressure hasn’t gone away, with the shriek of the air changing to a subtle hum.

Now released from that oppressive feeling, though, I find that she’s disappeared from my sight. I pick up that she’s moved over to the crystal, placing a finger on it and making some adjustments to the formation within.

An easy sign that she’s already well within Foundation Establishment. The skill that she shows within it puts her far above such constraints.

Almost absentmindedly, she speaks aloud.

“You know, I’ve never met anyone quite like you. Granted, there are always idealistic fools to be found, but…”

Without warning, she moves in front of me, placing her body and forehead on mine. She catches me off guard with her extreme movement techniques and positioning, causing me to freeze in place. Even more so by the complete change in tone.

Her eyes look hungry. Passionate.

Thirsty.

Her lips get closer and closer to mine.

Just before they reach their destination, she pauses and tenderly plants a kiss on my forehead. She holds her lips there, before bringing them down to mine for the briefest moment.

A brushing of the lips.

She darts back to crystal. At a range that isn’t audible even to cultivators, I can sense the words she mouths.

“…but at least you’re my idealistic fool.”

Right after, she continues speaking in a tone I can clearly hear.

“I heard you were making some interesting items at your base. I’m sure that’s connected to your past in some way. Tell me what you were thinking and I’ll see if I know of any techniques and blueprints. Hopefully, this will speed up your production process.”

In an instant, 3d images float above the crystal, displaying how it can plan out concepts.

Still recovering from the sudden romantic bend, it takes me a second to switch over to work mode.

“…right. How much do you know about atoms?”

What ensues is a few hours of discussion beyond any other I had in this world.

A scientific one.